It's different
by TheRealRogue
Summary: ROMY. Rogue and Remy generally get to know each other first, and then they go to the physical part. But what if it was the other way around this time? What if he sees her as just another girl on his list? Will he eventually realize she's different?
1. Chapter 1: First impressions

Disclaimer: Don't own them

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Chapter 1: First impressions.

He grabbed a small golden sculpture and observed it against the day light that came through the windows; it was genuine gold, he could tell without a second look. But starting his short stay at the mansion stealing objects from a telepath's office, probably wasn't the best of ideas; so he placed it back on the desk and reclined on the wooden, fancy chair. When you get in troubles back at the _bayou_, what do you do?: Take off for a while and wait for things to get smooth again. He would manage to find himself a place to stay, but joining indeterminately this group of scholars? No, that just wasn't his style; Remy LeBeau works alone.

"Good morning" said feminine voice to his back, so he stood up and turned around.

"_Bon jour_" the Cajun greeted. "Ridiculous shack, mutant trainin', beautiful _filles_… Remy might reconsider de _Professeur_'s offer t' stay".

"Really?" the woman raised her brows, pretending she didn't hear the part concerning to her. "You should, because this is the best place for people like us. And my name is Jean" she offered her hand for a shake, but he did more than that, charmingly kissing the back of it:

"Pleased t' meet y'".

Not used to somebody else besides Scott kissing a part of her, Jean felt a little uncomfortable, but once again, decided to act like nothing was wrong.

"Follow me, I'll show you your room".

He picked his stuff up from the floor and they both left the office.

Walking down one of the hallways, they crossed Jamie and two of his clones, arguing and pushing each other.

"So, how many of y' are?" he questioned, amused at the triplets.

"That counts for one" Jean explained. "That's Jamie; he's the youngest here and it's obvious what his power is about. Then there are Bobby, who creates and controls ice; Kurt can teleport, Kitty can traverse objects, Jubilee projects pyrotechnic energy" they went up the carpeted stairs, while she continued the list like she had memorized it. "Storm has the ability to control weather and Logan can recover from injuries in a second. Scott, my _boyfriend_, has optic energy beams, and Rogue…"

"Rogue? What kind o' name's dat?"

"I have wonder the same, but I guess you should ask her" Jean replied.

"She a girl?"

"Yes".

They stopped in front of a door to a bedroom, in the boys' side of the mansion.

"An' what can she do?" he asked casually.

"She…" it seemed like Jean was trying to find the right words to say it. "She absorbs people's energy, memories and powers, by skin to skin contact, while the other person is left unconscious". He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him: "Trust me: she is not happy with it. The kitchen is in the first floor".

She left, and then Remy found himself alone, looking into empty space for a few seconds.

"_Dieu_… dat's gotta suck" he recognized, and stepped inside the room. "Remy be lucky he didn't get dat power, or else he'd go _fou_" he chuckled, letting himself fall on the bed.

It was good to have a secure place to stay, at least for one night.

(…)

Resting his back against the wall, he crossed his arms over his chest to enjoy the nice view: a pair of tight pants wrapping those amazing hips and bottom; the rest of the body was bent to the front, looking for something inside the fridge.

"Where's the damn…?" Remy could hear her muttering to herself. She must have suddenly seen him with the corner of her eye, since she turned her head, not changing the position of her body; like this, she glared at him from head to feet, over her shoulder, white and auburn bangs falling over her face.

"Need any help in dere, _chere_?"

But she turned back to the fridge and grabbed what she'd been looking for, to then straight on and close the door with a foot.

"Nope" she simply said, not meeting his eyes; instead, she seemed very focused on preparing her sandwich.

Remy immediately liked this attitude of her; once they first stared at him, women generally couldn't take their eyes off him, doing nothing but smiling at him in order to catch his attention. But this girl didn't, so that might require a little extra effort.

"Y' not gonna ask who I am, or what am I doin' here?" he continued, coming closer to her. She stared at him apologetically:

"Ah would if Ah cared".

"Y'll soon care, c_herie_" he winked. "I'm Remy LeBeau, an' y' are…?".

Her meal was done, so the girl started to put everything back inside the fridge.

"_Bien_, my bad" he shook his head. "Who ever said southerner girls had manners? But I could teach y' a couple of 'em, if y' let me".

She grabbed her food, and giving a last look into his eyes before leaving the kitchen, she answered his question:

"Ah'm Rogue".

As he stared at her walking away, the realization hit him: this was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, way more than the red head; and it was also the only untouchable one he had ever met.

(…)

It was supper time at the mansion, and everybody gathered around the table, almost as a normal family. They'd discuss how their day went, what they'd do the next morning, and they'd get to know a little more about the new member, if families could have new members that often. At this point, Remy had already met every inhabitant of the house, and they all were pretty much regular people; but there was nothing regular about Rogue. Diagonally from her, during dinner he did nothing but wondering how was even possible someone so gorgeous could never be touched, what kind of cynical god could have given her those powers.

Kitty and Kurt questioned him a couple few things, and he answered politely, but he realized Rogue didn't look at him not even once; it was like he didn't exist to her.

But who cared, anyway?

"_Une femme_ without touch's like a dessert y' can't eat" he told himself in the back of his mind. "An' desserts are meant t' be eaten, right?"

(…)

He couldn't sleep.

It wasn't like the issues he had left undone in New Orleans cared too much, or that he was worried about the near future, but he just couldn't catch sleep. Maybe what really bothered him was that he hadn't had the chance to know every corner, window and door in this huge place, and that way he felt almost trapped; no matter what happens or how normal things seem to be around, he'd always be a thief. So he decided to get up and go taking a better look of the whole place.

These people really went to bed early; it wasn't yet midnight and Remy didn't find a single person on his way. After walking for a while, entertaining himself by building a mental map of the edification, he found himself in the large garage. There was his trusty black and silver bike, but that wasn't the only beauty in the place; a luxurious red sports car was parked nearby, and it almost shone of how well cared it was.

"Lemme guess… Summers'?" A good thief can always identify the owner of an item; and Remy wasn't just good: he was the best, and he proved it once again as he managed to open the car's door without the key, in less than ten seconds.

He sat on the driver's seat, but left the door open; he knew he wasn't alone.

"Yah gonna steal that?" a familiar voice was suddenly heard, an immediately, Rogue's figure appeared right by his side. She didn't have much of an expression on her face; it was hard to tell if she was upset, going against something or just sleepy. Anyway, she had some kind of different, wild beauty that made her outstand even in the darkness of the place. Her very _short_ shorts left almost the totality of her legs uncovered, as a sweatshirt and her crossed arms were the only things protecting her from cold.

"I wouldn't have let y' follow me if I was t'" he stated. "An' when did y' start interestin' in Remy's activities?"

She thought a little before answering: "Since Ah found out we've got a thief in the house".

"In dat case, y' want me t' give y' a ride?" It was so hard for Remy not to try flirting with her, not trying to charm her; not only he was used to flirt with every kinda cute girl he found on his way, but Rogue was just stunning. And untouchable; untouchable… she was the untouchable one, he had to keep that on mind. "So, what do y' say? We borrow Cyclops' car?"

And then, he saw it: he saw the glitter of a sly smile in her green orbits. He saw the way her lips quivered so slightly it could have only been his imagination; he saw her swallowing hard, and her shoulders contracting a little.

And then she jumped on him.

She threw herself at him, kissing him violently, her arms wrapped around his neck. It was like an explosion, something that just didn't give Remy enough time to react. But he managed to reunite the very small amount of reason this situation allowed him to have, and pushed her away a little, cupping her face between his hands:

"But how…? Dey said y' can't…"

And there it was again that delicious smile of her that sent all reason to the garbage. He was touching her face; he could kiss her, she wanted it, and that's all he needed to know. So he skilfully helped her to get a more comfortable position, with her legs all around him, while kissing her deeply; she was running her fingers through his hair, keeping her eyes closed in an attempt to feel everything only through her skin.

He caressed the silky skin of her legs up to her thighs, his face buried in her neck; it felt so good to feel her fast breathing on his ear. Then he grabbed her hips with both hands and brought her even closer, if that was possible. But he noticed she cringed; she pulled away abruptly, and giving him a last light kiss, she got off the car and ran away.

Note: I'm finally on vacations! YAY! Not like I don't have stuff to do, since I gotta work on my thesis (boring) but anyway, I'm almost done with subjects: two more in the summer course, and that'll be it :-) That gives me some free time to write, so here I am. Since I first watched "The virgin suicides", I knew I had to write a fic with that scene where Lux comes to Trip's car and does what Rogue did here; now, I had to put that scene into a context, and voila! "It's different" was born ;-) Please review!

P.S.: I'm still learning English; I try not to mess up, but I don't always accomplish it.


	2. Chapter 2: Good decisions

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Chapter 2: Good decisions.

With her knees up to her chest, Rogue continued reading the book.

But it was hard to focus.

Not only it was her surveillance shift, which meant she had to pay attention to the screens around her, that displayed different areas of the mansion; but, no matter how interesting _One hundred years of solitude_ was, she just couldn't stop thinking about herself and her own loneliness.

The best thing to do when she couldn't touch people, was to pretend she didn't need it; to force herself to believe not everyone is born to have a couple, and since we're all different, she could very well manage to live this way. Of course it never worked too well, but she still woke up every morning hoping it would come the day when she'd see two people kissing and she wouldn't feel like the most miserable life form on earth.

She used to think her life was weird because of this, but she'd had the weirdest week ever, since she unexpectedly gained control.

What would she do now?

She was waiting for the right moment to tell the others, but then again, how would she do it? She could so picture them, congratulating her like it was her birthday, and that'd be just too awkward; not to mention the professor and Hank McCoy, who would want to do all kinds of medical experiments to her to find out the cause of _it_. Is it so hard to understand some people just hate other people pocking their noses into their lives?

And what about the _touching_ side of the story? How was she supposed to find the right guy now, when she had spent all her life avoiding either right or wrong guys, and just any type of guys? It was so strange to feel she had a secret, the best thing could ever happen to her, and not knowing what to do with it.

She felt ashamed of it at the beginning, but damn, not anymore: she wanted to kiss. Something so common for most people, as having contact with others, was like a whole mysterious world for Rogue, and definitely a world she wanted to be part of; it wasn't just curiosity or physical desire, it was the need to feel close to somebody. She wanted, needed to know what it was like when someone holds you, just like she had already read it in so many stupid books she then tossed against a wall, crying. But during these days, she laughed herself to sleep at night, enjoying thinking of the hundreds of possibilities she now had: she could be a normal person; she could love, be loved… and everything _that_ implies.

Sighing, she directed her attention back to the book, only to read about five words before a _beep-beep_ interrupted her.

"So we've got visits t'day?"

Checking on a folder, she found a single name: Remy LeBeau.

"Yah kiddin' me? LeBeau? _The beautiful_?" she raised her brows: "That's one hell of a cocky name".

She zoomed camera Nº 2, to distinguish a man in front of the entrance fence; he was tall, and it was evident there was something really well fitted underneath that trench coat. More zooming, and she found out his hair was brown and a little long, like it took him no time to take care of it, but it still looked so great on him. Rogue unfolded her legs and leaned closer to the screen, her chin resting on her left fist in a way she could use her little finger to unconsciously play with her lower lip; and she changed to camera Nº 3, getting a full close up of his strong, arrogant, good looking features.

"Kinda fits yah, though…" she recognized, and then started to laugh. "Yah're startin' t' go crazy, Rogue! Cut it off". But then she wondered if she wasn't just a girl, thinking a boy was cute; was that such a crime?

"Not anymore…"

Next, she pressed the speaker button, and heard his voice:

"Remy LeBeau. I'm here t' talk t' _Professeur_ Xavier".

Whoever on earth said accents were hot, was totally and absolutely right; he wasn't just speaking, he was sending slight shivers to Rogue's back, with each word. She let the button go right away, and let him and his bike in to the fields of the mansion.

There are times when you see someone for the first time and you feel something special you can't explain; some of those times you realize you had never felt the same thing before. Maybe it's mere attraction, simple interest, or just your crazy head idealizing this person. But the truth is that you can't let it go. You can't continue doing whatever you were doing, because you are suddenly hooked and you need to know more.

The book was put aside on the table, as the screens showed her the visitor's way.

He got to Professor Xavier's office, had a conversation with him, and that's how Rogue found out he would stay that night in the mansion. Only one day, and then she wouldn't see him ever again.

One day, one night…

"Gawd… this guy's the biggest flirt ever" she rolled her eyes, watching him kissing Jean's hand later on. But she wouldn't have needed to see this; it was obvious by the way he looked, by the ways he stood and walked, that he was a player always in the search for his next prey. She had to remember taking note of not ever getting involved with this particular type of man…

But instead, she smiled mischievously when he pronounced her name; she had behaved well, _too_ well all her life… those notes could wait.

"'Course Ah'm a girl! Ah'll show yah…" she said half defiantly, half in joke, a little impressed at her own words.

Then he entered his bedroom, and Rogue couldn't see or hear him anymore; no, security cameras didn't go that far.

So she stayed sitting there, thinking.

We have crazy, unusual ideas every day, but we make them possibly very few times and sometimes never; it was scary, but she decided she wanted to change that.

Nothing could stop her now.

She wouldn't be hurting anybody.

Remy would be gone the next day.

He'd ask no explanations.

She'd be just another random girl for him.

He'd forget the whole thing soon.

Especially if she acted careless about him.

So, why not?

(…)

"_Chere_? Wait! Where y'…?"

Those were the last words she heard from him, before leaving the garage. She slipped a couple of times on the polished floor, because she was wearing socks and no shoes. The heat in the back of her neck wasn't important, and neither if she found someone on her way; she just needed to get to her room as fast as possible. But she wasn't just running as she used to do it in the danger room, or in some training; it was some kind of absurd rush of excitement, the one running through her whole body.

After slamming the door to her bedroom behind her, she rested her back against a wall and remained this way a few moments, letting herself exhale a little louder. It was hard to stop trembling at the thought of his skin being next to hers seconds ago, and it was just so delicious to feel this way: like some kind of insane, free person that does whatever she wants to do. She knew she'd be back at being a reasonable girl tomorrow, but tonight there was nothing but Remy's scent lingering on her.

"Ah kinda like this" she smiled, but gasped in surprise when the door was knocked.

"_Chere_?" he whispered on the other side, and she didn't know whether to be terrified or to laugh. "Hey… Rogue?"

She ran her fingers through her hair and went walking on tip toes to sit on her bed; this would calm her down, yes.

"_Cherie_… come on, it ain't nice t' leave Remy dis way".

Sniggering, she let herself fall backwards, and remained this way, staring at the ceiling. Remy knocked the door again a couple times, but then no more.

"So, this is what it feels like…?" Rogue thought, bringing back to her memory his lips on hers, on her neck, the way he touched her…

She felt she had a fever she never wanted to sweat out.

(…)

For breakfast and lunch, Rogue had that sandwich she had kept in her tiny little fridge, and some crackers, because she didn't leave her bedroom during the whole day. _One hundred years of solitude_ must have been the most interrupted reading of her life, because once she managed to read a few lines, last night's recalls overwhelmed her again. And so many questions too: did she act like a slut? Would anybody find it out? Was Remy out of the house already? To make sure, she wanted to wait until dinner time; he _had_ to be gone by then.

And when it came the time, she went to the dining room imagining everybody could notice what she did, only by staring at her; the telepaths said they never looked inside someone's head without permission, so she tried to stay stuck to this, not to freak out.

But everything was as normal as usual, and nobody looked at her weird.

"Hey Rogue! Where were you the whole day?" Kitty greeted her, when she was sitting at the table.

"Ah had sort of a stomach ache, but Ah'm 'kay now".

"You know, today I, like, went to the mall, and you wouldn't imagine how cute these shoes were…" Shadowcat started telling her _interesting _story, when the Professor, sitting at the end of the large table, called everyone's attention:

"I did not want to begin dinner without a short but necessary information". All eyes were on him, as he continued: "It is not definitive yet, as he let me know, but Mr. LeBeau will be staying with us a few more days".

Rogue felt she was suddenly transported to outer space, since there was no air around to breathe; she was just paralyzed, and didn't want to turn around just like everybody else did.

She didn't want to, because she knew what she'd see.

But above all things, she had to pretend everything was cool; so she put on her face an average expression and looked towards the other side of the table.

"Or mebbe even weeks" Remy smirked, sitting next to Storm. "Who knows? Dis be a fine place".

Note: WOW: I had never got so many reviews for the first chap of a fic: 18!! I really wasn't expecting it. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to drop me a few words; really, feedback is the best thing in the world after you spent three, four hours or more, writing a chapter. Thanks guys! Now, let's not loose that nice habit, and please give a click to the little review button before you leave.

Btw: it's kinda hard to write Rogue this way: meeting Remy for the first time and not hating him. It's different, I know, but well, it could happen too, right? Why not? ;-)


	3. Chapter 3: Mischievous request

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Chapter 3: Mischievous request.

Rogue walked cautiously down one of the dark aisles of what seemed to be a warehouse. With tall shelves filled with junk on both sides of her, she was making an effort to keep mental track of the location of her team mates; it was hard, though, because they couldn't see each other and the place was huge, but that was exactly the point of the final part of this session: team work.

"Kurt, a few steps ahead of me; Scott, three aisles from here. Jean, on the other side. Kit… where's Kit? Oh yeah: in the northwest side of the room, with Jubilee. An'… curse him… _Gambit_: where's he?"

The silence and suspense ended all of a sudden, as energy blasts coming from every directions started to attack them. Rogue threw herself to the floor and tried to crawl her way out of there, but a big explosion right in front of her blinded her for about a couple of seconds; next, she managed to stand up and run, dodging several blasts and obstacles.

Right when she thought she was almost out of there, a gigantic _boom_ was heard.

"Rogue!" someone yelled behind her back, but when she turned around it was too late: a heavy shelf with scrap iron was falling on her, like a house of cards. Before she could do anything, she felt pulled away and thrown to the ground, while all kind of metallic pieces fell everywhere around.

"_Program 481516: finished_".

Once these words resounded in the whole place, the warehouse was gone and the X-Men found themselves in an empty Danger Room.

"Y' 'kay, _chere_?"

Rogue gasped for air, realizing she was still lying on the floor next to Remy.

"Go away!" she burst out, standing up quickly. "Ah'm fine", and saying this, she walked away from him, leaving the Room.

"What's up with her?" the Cajun asked Kitty casually, brushing off the dust from that stupid uniform they made him wear.

"Well, Remy, it's like, you know… her power and stuff". He gave her a questioning look, so the girl continued: "She doesn't like people being close to her, 'cause she thinks she could, like, hurt them".

"Right…" he nodded. "So, she can't control it?"

"No; she's tried therapy with the professor and everything, but it's like she just can't". They walked out of the Danger Room. "See, right now, me and some of the guys are gonna go to the pool, you know? But I don't ask Rogue to come, 'cause she'd, like, totally kick me or something. You know what I mean?"

"_Oui_" Remy nodded again, while images of Rogue's body wearing a tiny swimsuit flashed through his mind. "I know".

(…)

After taking a shower, Rogue started to clean her room on a failed attempt to think about something else, or maybe just not to think. It was so strange, because different sides of her thought different things about this situation.

In one hand, she felt so messed up, wondering how in the world she was capable of doing something like this, who in the hell she had become the second she decided to do what she did; she wasn't sure if she had turned into a different person since that moment, or if the one that showed up was _the real Rogue_, that had been waiting to come out.

"Damn… Ah'm a slut" she concluded, and thinking about it was so weird she couldn't avoid to laugh a little. And that's when we get to the other hand: was it actually _that_ wrong? It'd be awesome if a _rightness-wrongness_ scale existed, where we could measure our acts; but there isn't, and Rogue didn't know what to think about herself anymore. Of course she enjoyed it, of course she'd love to do it again, but was this bad for her?

And if all of this wasn't problematic enough, now Remy was staying in the institute. He didn't look at her directly the previous night, when it was announced he was staying, but she could perceive that ironic and teasing shade of meaning on his words:

"_Dis be a fine place_" she mimicked the way he spoke, while swiping the floor. "Jackass".

But, hey: wasn't this her fault, after all?

And then, after dinner, he had come to her bedroom and knocked on the door again. He said nothing, but she was certain it had been him.

He wanted more than he got.

Now: did she?

Rogue took a deep breathe and sat down; only a week after gaining control on her power and she was already all tangled up with someone she barely knew. Way to go.

So she needed to go out for a while, take some air, see different people, and especially, she wanted to get away from him for a while. Being on the mansion meant she could stumble across him at any moment, and not only having to deal with his cockiness: she'd have to deal with temptation.

(…)

It was about 2 pm when she came out of her bedroom; she'd have some lunch outside and then would go walk or wander around for a while: anything that could distract her a little.

She decided to take the kitchen's back door, imagining the place would be empty at this hour; she was right, and it was a relieve recognizing she didn't meet Remy on her way.

That is, until she twisted the knob, and an arm on a black leather jacket appeared in front of her face to keep the door closed.

"Where y' goin' so lonely, _chere_?" he smirked, staring at her in a way that almost made her quiver.

Rogue gritted her teeth; this is exactly what she wanted to avoid.

"All right Swamp Rat" she huffed, trying to look serious. "Say whatever the hell yah wanna say an' then leave me alone".

"Swamp Rat, _hein_?" he raised a brow.

"Yeah: _Swamp Rat_. You've got a problem with that?"

"I've got a problem, _oui_".

She was about to reply but he didn't allow her to. Right then, he shoved her against the wall and kissed her intensely, one hand holding her face and the other one reaching her waist. She tried to push him away at the beginning, but when he wrapped his arm around her and pressed his body against hers, any attempt to get away vanished completely.

Nothing else existed around her, besides his warm lips drinking from hers like he was thirsty to dead. She never imagined a kiss could imply so many things at the same time: it was his badly shaved and rough chin against hers, his breathing, his scent, certain sensation of feeling protected by his tall frame and broad chest.

It just felt so ridiculously good…

And then Remy went down to her neck and collarbones, kissing them repeatedly.

"Wait…" she breathed, her eyes still half closed, but then reacted when she felt his hands going lower and lower down her back. "Wait, wait Remy! What…?" she pushed him away a little to meet his unique red on black eyes. "This is… we shouldn't…"

"Why not? 'Cause dey don't know y' can do dis?" he placed a slight kiss on her lips.

"Even… yah crazy?! Even if they knew it!"

"But y' want it, don't y'?" She had to laugh at that puppy dog expression of him.

Was this actually even happening?

"Yah're just not good for me, Cajun. Yah're such a player".

"Ah! Remy can be very, very good t' y' if y' lemme show y'" he caressed her chin with his ungloved fingers. "B'sides: _y'_ be de one dat started t' play, remember?"

It was pointless to pretend she didn't like him and send him to hell; it was immature to act shy and all offended. It was time to deal with the consequences of her actions, and just be herself and speak nothing but her mind.

"Ah guess".

They stared into each other's eyes, like trying to figure who'd be the one to hold this gaze longer; he was about to speak when the both of them heard the same thing, and Rogue's eyes widened like plates: someone was coming.

"Let me go!" she whispered, but he had something else on mind.

"_Non_".

"What's wrong with yah?!" she complained, trying to release herself from his hold, but it wasn't easy, and it seemed he found this pretty amusing. "What the heck yah laughin' at? Let me go!"

"All right" he murmured to her right ear, his face hidden by her auburn hair. "But y' gotta let Remy in t' yer room t'night".

Rogue felt like the ground under her feet disappeared.

"What?!" it was the only thing she could think of saying.

"Y' heard me, _chere_" he grinned.

The voices were getting closer and closer; anyone who just stepped a foot inside the kitchen would see them right away, in this particular situation.

"Yah're a damn…!"

"If I were y', I'd answer soon".

"Nah!"

"_Bien_" he shot back, and started to kiss her neck again, as she desperately fought to release herself from his firm grasp.

With horror, she recognized the voices belonged to Scott and Jean.

"All right, all right!" she finally agreed, not without annoyance. Immediately he let her go:

"Twelve o'clock" he winked, and right away disappeared down a lateral hallway.

When Scott and Jean appeared, Rogue was just standing there, holding her bag tightly.

"Are you going out?" the telepath asked, smiling.

"Ah…" Rogue mumbled: "Yeah…" and saying this, she walked mechanically out the door.

Note: Hi everyone! I have my last exam tomorrow, and guess what? I didn't study one bloody thing! BwahahahaI That's because I already have enough grades to succeed, so… whatever!! Screw chemical reactors! Oh, it feels so good behaving bad ;-)

I had never written a Danger Room scene, so I hope it's ok like that. Another thing: I don't know if I write the _making out-cuddling _scenes right; I try to.

I wanna send virtual hugs to all of you, my dear reviewers! You guys rock my socks :-) Thanks so much for supporting my crazy ideas.


	4. Chapter 4: Closer interactions

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Note: Hi! I wanted to clear up a couple of things before starting the actual chappie, which by the way will be a little bit straight forward... I wondered if I should change this chap a little, leave the straight-forwardness for chap 5, and write a fluffier chap 4. But then I decided to stay stuck to what I had on mind; it's when I change my original ideas that I start to mess fics up. And, I mean, if I wanted to write a fic where they first get to know each other, fall in love and _then_ do it, that's what I'd have written! But no: _this_ is where I wanna go this time. So please, don't get weirded out!

Chapter 4: Closer interactions.

She didn't have to, anyway.

She could easily keep the door locked and go to sleep.

But what did she _really_ want?

She didn't blame him for acting the way he did. After all, he was a man (and a ladies' one) with a girl throwing herself at him; what was he supposed to do? Playing the _respectful gentleman_? Yeah, right… she had never gone through these things, but she wasn't blind not to see how things work in the world.

And this whole thing wasn't about surrendering to his wishes, but about surrendering to hers. Because all of her life she thought she'd never be in this situation, and now it was literally about to knock on her door. All right, she could even recognize she wanted it, but now: was she willing to do it?

A shiver ran down her back as she glimpsed at her alarm clock for the twentieth time in the last half hour: 11:40 pm. She stood up (for the tenth time) and stared at her reflection in the mirror; she could almost say her face expression had changed ever since she gained control.

Taking a closer look at one of her emerald orbits, she smiled, remembering the little… interaction in the kitchen. It had been the continuation of the game she began two days ago. So wicked, but kinda fun; unexpected, but yet so himself… and that was weird: she'd seen him only a few times, but he didn't feel like a stranger, and it wasn't just because they made out already; there was something else, some kind of intense, blind wish to be with him.

And Remy could make his puppy dog faces, wink and talk as smoothly as he wanted; but it was her choice.

(…)

Right when the security camera turned to the opposite side of the hallway, Remy hurried his way to the already familiar closed door; it didn't take to be a genius to figure out what everybody else would think about the new guy's visits to the untouchable Rogue, so he had to be cautious. If it was locked, he'd have to stop on his tracks and bounce out of there immediately. But it wasn't.

The camera only got to register the door being closed behind someone's back.

Sure, sneaking in a girl's bedroom wasn't new to him, but it was what he felt when he saw her: she was standing there, arms crossed, hair falling over her shoulders, no make up on, black sweat pants and tank top, staring at him with a mixture in her eyes of God knows how many things. He found her simply and deliciously intriguing, like she didn't belong to this world.

"An' here An' here I was thinkin' y' couldn't look more beautiful" he greeted.

"An' yah couldn't be more of a jerk".

"What did I do now?" he threw his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Yah mean, besides almost givin' me away t' Jean an' Scott, an' shamefully blackmailin' me into this?"

Remy advanced a couple of steps, to confirm on her face what her voice had already let him know: she wasn't really upset; instead, there was a playful pout in those full lips of hers.

"Ah, _cherie_… why don't we forget 'bout the past an' let's just focus on the present, _hein_?".

She wasn't yet used to be so close to people, so she had to fight that instinctive feeling of running away or covering herself up when he came even closer. He must have had some strange effect on her, she knew it, because every time they were near, he just somehow broke down her barriers.

If there were any barriers left.

Staring at her intensely, he placed his right index finger on her left wrist and then went up her arm in a slow trace, until he reached her shoulder; it was so new to feel this way: caressed and wanted, instead of feared. And once she felt his hand through her hair, holding the back of her neck, she closed her eyes and let herself sink into a burning kiss.

It was too good, too perfect…

Then he put his arms around her waist, and her heart almost stopped when he started to lead her towards the bed. Because, of course she knew that's what was probably coming next, but it's a whole different thing when it's actually happening; it's like _this is it._

He never broke apart the kiss, and when she realized, she was already falling backwards on the bedspread, with Remy on top of her.

"Remy…" she managed to pronounce, right when he was sliding down one of the spaghetti straps and kissing her shoulder.

"Oui…?" he mumbled.

"Hey, wait…"

Finally, he met her eyes and realized there was a hint of worry on them:

"Yeah? Tell me, _chere_" he placed a kiss on her lips. "Y' 'kay?".

Rogue shut her eyes tightly for a couple of seconds; then opened them, bit her lower lip, and spoke:

"Ah know Ah was the one comin' on t' yah, in the first place…" she recognized, and didn't feel as awkward as she thought she would. "But…" not like it was the easiest thing to say, though; anyway, she felt encouraged by the understanding look in his eyes: "Ah've never really done this, Ah mean, Ah'd never even kissed anyone an' now we're here…"

He knew it. He knew that same skin he was caressing now, was untouchable before; how did it stop being so, he had no clue, but he liked so bad the way every inch of her felt so unspoilt.

"I know" he whispered, and no matter how much the _womanizer_ he was tried to shut himself up, he just knew he'd be a bastard if he didn't ask this: "But y' sure 'bout this? 'Cause I am, I swear" he smirked: "But y'?... Just tell me, _chere_".

She looked at him blankly for a few moments:

"But…"

"But?"

"Do yah have…? yah know…" She looked at the ceiling: "One of… those things… they… use, yah know?"

Remy stared at her for a couple of seconds and then started to laugh; but not in mock, he was just amused at the very subtle and shy way she asked this, very differently from the rest of the women he'd been with.

"What y' mean?" he questioned, trying to look serious now.

"Damn it, Swamp Rat! Yah know what Ah mean!" she punched him on the shoulder. "Thanks for makin' it easier".

"Sorry, _chere_, couldn't help it" he winked. "An' of course I've got _those things_. Don't worry 'bout it".

All of her previous thoughts and considerations reduced to this moment. But it was like her brain didn't work correctly and she wasn't really herself anymore; all she wanted was to feel him.

So she wrapped her arms around his neck:

"Ah'm sure, then"

"All right" he said, and she closed her eyes. "Trust me".

(…)

Which one was his breathing and which one was hers? She didn't know anymore, since the both of them were like a single thing now. And his heart, she could hear it, echoing inside her head and making her feel safe somehow. It was this sensation of surrender she didn't know it existed, being embraced by him and feeling his hands gently caressing her bare back a few moments, then her head, then her back again.

She didn't want to close her eyes and miss something. It was better to keep record of all of this and not to think about tomorrow; at least not now.

"_Chere_?" he finally broke the silence: "Y' 'kay?".

Moving slowly, like a cat stretching itself, she looked up at his face. Then, she nodded and kissed his chest.

He never talked too much after sex; what was the point of it, anyway? He already knew everything he needed to know about the girl. But this time, he didn't know why, but he wanted to find out more, to check if she was really ok, to make her feel right; so he continued:

"What y' thinkin'?"

After a few moments, she spoke:

"Ah'm thinkin'… it's kinda weird"

"Come on, tell me; y' can tell me anythin'".

"Well, Ah was just thinkin' Ah thought Ah'd be quite embarrassed bein' this… naked. But Ah'm not".

"_Embarrassed_ is the only thin' y' could never be of _this_" he affirmed, looking down at her body, covered by a sheet. "Y' perfect Rogue, y' know dat?" She smiled a little as he carried on: "How y' feel, den?"

"Ah'm… it's like this isn't so strange t' me; like in another life or world, or whatever, Ah've been through this already an' Ah feel good, an' comfortable. Yah know?" she looked into his eyes, hoping he'd understand it. "Ah'm sorry, Ah know it's pretty stupid…"

"_Non, non_! It ain't stupid…"

"Ah mean, Ah know yah're used t' gals knowin' exactly what t' do an' what t' say but…"

"Hey,_ chere_, look at me" he cupped her face between his hands: "If I ask y' how y' feel, it's 'cause I care, 'kay? What, y' think I'm a prick?"

"Nah… Actually, more like a cold hearted prick".

"_Dieu_! Why y' think dat?" Rogue was already giggling at this point; his wounded expression was just too funny. "_Non_, seriously, _cherie_: what did I ever possibly do for y' t' think dat?".

"Yah haven't done anythin' yet'" she pointed out. "But it's just evident".

"Ah, _oui?_!"

"_Oui_".

Remy narrowed his eyes at her; she wasn't completely wrong, but anyway, he didn't want her to think he was a monster.

"All right, den I guess we should know each other a little more, an' y' would pro'bly change yer mind".

"Or keep it"

"We'll see" he grinned wickedly. "_Allons_, ask somethin'".

"Like?"

"Anythin' y' wanna know 'bout me".

Rogue moved herself until she ended up lying by his side, their legs still tangled up; they were still very close, but this way she could look into his face all the time and try to figure out if he was telling the truth. Anyway, it was so strange that he was asking her this; she had even got to think for a single second, that straight afterwards they finished, he'd just leave her alone and that was it. Now, that'd have been a real prick.

But he didn't; he was there, playing with her hair and wanting to know about her.

"'kay… how old are yah?"

"How old y' think I am?"

"Didn't Ah ask first, Swamp Rat?"

"Don't y' like t' guess?"

"All right" she sighed and rolled her eyes: "Twenty... five?"

"Uh, y' almost hit it, _cherie._ I'm twenty four".

"An' me? How old yah think Ah am?"

"Let's see" and saying this, he removed away the blanket that was covering her, and took a prolonged glimpse at her flawless body, while she did nothing but laughing. "Everythin' it's in its right place, so y' are 'bout twenty… twenty, dat's it".

"Yah really think?"

"_Oui_".

"Nuh, uh. Ah'm twenty one".

"_Bien_" he accepted, but his eyes hadn't moved from her breasts, waist, hips, and other particular places.

"What yah starin' at, Cajun?" she mock complained, but the only answer she received from him were countless kisses all over her body, and the pleasure of being his again.

(…)

She opened her eyes lazily, not really focusing them on anything, and then decided to go back to sleep. But a few seconds later, it hit her so she tried to sit down quickly, moving away Remy's arm to do so.

The alarm clock said it was 6:20 am.

"Remy?" she shook him by his shoulders: "Remy wake up!"

But he only growled something, and didn't bother in opening his eyes.

"Wake up, yah stupid Swamp Rat!" she yelled, and he finally reacted.

"_Hein_? What is it, _chere_?"

"Yah gotta get outta here now"

"What? Why…?"

"'Cause someone might see yah! Get up!"

She pushed him out of the bed and then out of the room, wearing his t-shirt inside out. Then she closed the door and looked down at herself:

"Gawd… what did Ah do?"

Another note: All right, there you have it. You think Rogue made a mistake? She probably did, but things characters do aren't always perfect, are they? They're real people! Btw: I don't mean it's ok to go an sleep with the first hot, sexy Cajun… sorry, with the first guy that shows up; 'cause it's not! This is a particular, imaginary Romy situation, ok? ;-)

Feel free to fill the blanks in this chappie; hey it's rated T, what did you expect? ;-)

Next chap: How's Rogue gonna feel now? Did she think it was ok to do what she did, or not? Will Remy still be interested in her, or only in fucking her? (Sorry for the f word; it's fun to write it. Hehe)


	5. Chapter 5: Important developments

What would happen was very predictable: they'd do it a few times, maybe a week or two of furtive hot encounters; but then one day he'd start to loose interest, so we have two choices here: either he did something really mean, for her to dump him, or he j

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Chapter 5: Important developments.

Standing there, alone, completely absent from the mansion's noises and issues, Rogue closed her eyes and leaned her head backwards, to then twist the faucet. While her hair and body started to get completely soaked, she smiled: same way as this tepid water was doing it, her skin had been travelled across by Remy, only moments, minutes, so little ago she could almost still feel his touch and his presence on her.

She had heard it and read about it so many times, but this is what it really was like: to share something so intimate with someone, to give yourself, to receive him back… she had to smile again at this thought: this was real life, not the little bubble she had lived in before.

Covered only by a green towel, she came out of the bathroom followed by clouds of vapour that vanished in a few seconds. Sitting in front of the dressing table, she began to untangle her mostly auburn hair; and then she met her own eyes in the mirror. It was time to ask herself the question she didn't want to: what would happen now?

Of course she pretty much lost her mind every time he was around; of course she liked the way he stared at her, his amazing body, his kisses, and damn, everything else; of course she wanted to know more specific facts about him and his life. But what about him? He had no particular reason to differentiate her from the rest of his women, simply because she had behaved just like them.

And what would happen was very predictable: they'd do it a few times, maybe a week or two of furtive hot encounters; but then one day he'd start to loose interest, so there were two choices here: either he did something really mean, for her to dump him, or he just dumped her himself. And that'd be it. Even more: there's nothing to dump when that person is not yours, so it'd be more like moving on with her life, pretending nothing happened.

That is, if he didn't just want to nail the _ex-untouchable girl_ once, just for the fun of it, and then send her to hell.

She knew this might seem paranoic, but what could she expect from a man she barely knew?

Her hair was ok now, still dropping on her back but now without knots.

If this was only about sex for him, so be it for her too. She wouldn't show him she's affected by this, that she probably won't be able to think about anything else at least for the next month, that she wants, needs to be with him. She just refused to be one of those dumped, heartbroken girls.

She could take this as a grown person, and… yeah, move on with her life.

There was one thing for real, though: she didn't regret a single moment of it.

(…)

Lunch wasn't as formal as dinner: generally, half of the people ate outside the house, and the other half ate last night's leftovers, or whatever they could find. She found some pizza and sat in front of Logan, who was eating too; Kitty was unsuccessfully trying to prepare some meal with Kurt. It was just another normal day for them, but for Rogue it was like _the day after_, and she couldn't help still feeling so overwhelmed by it and, why not?: she even laughed a little bit on her inside, thinking they probably kept pitying her because of her power, not even imagining what she had done last night.

All of a sudden, she heard his voice behind her back, making her shudder to her bones:

"What y' preparin' dere, _petite_?"

And she had to ignore him, to pretend nothing happened, not only in front of everybody but also in front of him. For sure sometimes life seems to be some kind of circus, where we do nothing but playing silly roles and hide our true feelings.

She kept chewing mechanically, as he started chatting with Kitty and Kurt.

This is exactly how she'd pictured the scene earlier on: him, with his usual cool demeanour; her, with her stomach all twitched and her brain bouncing from rationales to emotions.

She better got used to this, if he was to stay longer.

A while later, she finally left the place. She didn't fixate her eyes on Remy not even once; it was just too hard this way.

(…)

After working out at the gym for a while, Rogue decided to come back to her room. Of course she couldn't get the whole deal out of her head, but she just hoped not to meet someone down the hallway, who'd see her disturbed face and ask "_Are you ok, Rogue_?", because she wouldn't doubt in answering "_Yep, Ah had sex last night, don't that always make yah have a wonderful day?"_

But it happened too fast: before she knew it, she was dragged inside this little dark room where they save cleaning stuff.

"What the…?!" she protested, but was shut up by a kiss.

If she'd have wanted to speak her mind in front of him, and if she could actually speak in that exact second, she'd have said: "_this is exactly what Ah needed". _

Remy embraced her tightly, until they finally broke apart to take some air; then, she rested her head against his chest, finally feeling secure.

"Don't scare the hell outta me like that!"

"_Desolè, cherie_" he said to her ear. "But Remy didn't have de chance t' say _hello_ back in de kitchen. An' y' didn't either".

"Well! What did yah want me t' do? T' say: _hey Rems, last night was great; oh, an' Logan could yah please hand me a napkin? Thanks_!"

"It was great, indeed" he agreed. "But forget 'bout de Wolverine. I've got a better idea: What if y' an' I go have some dinner t'night?"

What was he trying to do? To be polite or something?

"Dinner, eh? Should Ah take this for… _the next day call_?"

He chuckled before answering: "I don't use to do _next day calls_, _chere_".

"Oh! 'Course not, what was Ah thinkin'?" she said ironically.

"So: what y' say?"

She knew she'd be going deeper and deeper into this if she accepted, but…

"Ah guess it wouldn't make too much sense to play _hard to get_ now, would it?"

He grinned: "Dat a _yes_?"

"Yeah" she nodded.

"See y' in de garage at 9 o'clock".

He kissed her deeply again, before opening the door and leaving.

(…)

Sitting on his bike, Remy threw to the ground the butt of a cigarette, and wondered for the millionth time why he was doing this: going out with a woman he had already slept with; didn't it usually work the other way around? Was it because she was a virgin, because she used to be untouchable? There was something appealing in those two facts, sure, but yet there was something else: he just wanted to be with her.

He felt so comfortable talking to her, like he didn't have to pretend being "The" Remy LeBeau, and be just a guy wanting to know about a girl. He had thought about it the whole morning, until he came to the conclusion he shouldn't think anymore, and just act instead, inviting her out.

"So, yah ready Swamp Rat?"

"I am" he greeted. "An' y're beautiful".

Rogue rolled her eyes playfully and hopped on the bike, behind him.

He smelled so good it was almost enrapturing.

(…)

"Wow _chere_, I gotta confess somethin'" Remy stated, and took a sip of bourbon: "I never imagined dere'd be a place like dis one 'n dis city".

"There's a little bit of everythin' here, yah know? Yah just gotta know how t' search".

The place was halfway a bar and a restaurant, and if someone puts you there without saying you're in New York, you could swear you're in some town of Mississippi or, why not?, maybe even in New Orleans. It was an all southern place: the decoration, the music, the aromas of spices and liquors, and even the moods of people around.

"It sure almost feels like home". He didn't now if he said this only because of the place, but also because of Rogue's face, her unique drawl, and just the whole aura that surrounded her.

Then, their foods arrived; since she ordered his food and he ordered hers, there was Chicken _Sauce-Picquante_ for her, with tomatoes, spices and rice, and a huge chicken fried steak for him.

"This is… really, really good" she pointed out, right after swallowing the first bite.

"If y' like dis, y've gotta try Remy's Special Jambalaya".

"Yah cook?" she questioned, sceptical "Yah look like everythin' but the kinda guy that cooks".

"Hey I don't just cook: I make miracles" he added confidently.

"Ah definitely gotta see that t' believe it"

"Y' won't only see it, _chere_, but y'll also taste it".

"Ah, really?" she was feeling so good, she started to relax even without realizing of it: "So yah gonna cook for me?"

He came a little closer, staring at Rogue like she was his meal: "I'm gonna cook lunch, dinner… an' breakfast for y'".

"Mmm, breakfast's good" she smiled.

"Isn't it? Especially 'n good company".

The music changed at this point, being a little less noisy and more calmed.

"An' I remember we left somethin' unfinished" he continued. "Our little knowin' each other talk. Y' forgot 'bout it?"

"No…" she stared at a distant point for a few moments, thinking to herself: _"No circus, no playin' roles; there's nobody around but him, an' what the hell? Yah already gave him… a lot"._ Then, looking back at his eyes: "All right, there's somethin' Ah do wanna know".

"Dat'd be…?"

"Are yah actually a thief?"

Unable to speak since his mouth was full of food, Remy nodded repeatedly for a few moments, also trying to figure out the way he'd begin to tell the story:

"If I said _yes_, would dat make y' walk away?" he said, half defiantly, half in joke; for Rogue, it was so easy to read his eyes:

"Ah'm no saint either, Cajun".

"_Non_?"

They both stared at each other: him, trying to decide if what she said was believable; her, content of being able to say such a thing in front of someone.

"_C'est bien_, saints have no fun. An'_ oui_, y've got de best thief of Nawlins right 'n front of y'". She didn't seem surprised or scared, which he liked: "It's a family thin'; _mon pere's_ always been 'n de business".

"Does that have anythin' t' do with yah, movin' out an' comin' to the mansion?"

"Eh… It's a bit more complicated dan just dat" he hinted; this was something he didn't tell everybody, but somehow, he knew it was ok to tell her: "See, we've got guilds back dere: de thieves' one an' de assassins' one. We're not exactly best friends with 'em. The son of de assassins' leader an' de son of de thieves' one, dat'd be me, we fought dis kind of duel… stupid traditions… He almost died, an' I'd be dead already if I'd have stayed dere"

It was also good to see she didn't look reproaching, like she actually understood the complexity of the whole guilds stuff.

"An' we're here now" he finally winked.

Rogue blinked a few times and kept eating; so he wasn't only a thief, but was nothing but trouble, just as she had imagined. And it could seem the strangest thing, but that sounded… pretty exciting.

"Haven't yah ever wondered how Ah gained control of mah powers?" she suddenly said; if this was about getting out the dirt, she was willing to do it too.

"Ever since de first time I touched y'_, chere_" he recognized. "But I guess I was waitin' y' t' tell me y'self".

"'kay, then. 'bout, Ah don't know, two weeks ago maybe, Ah…" this wasn't easy to say either, but she felt encouraged by the fact that he had told her about his own issues. "Ah came out of the mansion one night; Ah just felt so messed up… Remy, yah really have no idea what it's like t' live knowin' yah'll never touch anyone, that yah'll always be so bloody alone". She sighed: "So Ah went out; Ah just wanted t' disappear or go t' hell or somethin'. Ah ended up in some bar, an' after 'bout three drinks Ah was seein' double already. An' this guy came on t' me, an' touched me…"

Remy's expression was serious at this point; it's true, he hadn't yet stopped to think about how she felt before, which for sure was still a big part of her:

"An' he fainted right away, 'course" she continued. "But Ah was so pissed off, so Ah went outside an' started t'… t'… absorb random people. Willingly, only 'cause Ah hated everyone in the world… an' 'cause Ah was drunk out of mah mind".

The napkin in her hand was now a crumpled ball: "A few of 'em fainted… but then not anymore". Her green orbits now had slight glitter of tears. "Ah grabbed their hands, an' they just stared at me like Ah was a lunatic. An' Ah realized it was true what the Prof had told me a few times: controllin' a mutant power requires practice. Ah sure practiced with those people… An' we're here now!" she repeated what he'd said, moments ago.

It was true: none of them was no saint, and that was probably what had joined them in a house full of _prude wannabes_.

He raised his drink, staring deeply into her eyes:

"Cheers t' dat".

"To what? Me, randomly distributin' free naps?" she asked, unconvinced.

"To y', gainin' control" he explained.

Rogue finally smiled and raised her own drink: "All right" they both drank a sip: "An' also cheers to yah, bein' a thief".

"Dat be good one" he admitted, and they took another sip: "An' of course: to us, bein' here now".

"I've got one" she announced, with a look in her eyes that nearly killed him with naughtiness: "To… last night".

There was only one sip left in each drink, and Remy wanted to use it right; so he stared deeply into her eyes: "To… t'night".

"Cheers" she said.

"Cheers" he answered, and they took the last sip at once.

(…)

It ain't easy to enter the mansion without waking up somebody, specially if you can't stop laughing and it's past midnight.

But they managed to do it, and once they arrived to her room, she wrapped her legs around him, while making out avidly.

They went to bed again, but not exactly in order to sleep.

Note: hey that was a long chappie! But I couldn't erase anything; it had to be this way. I'll try to update soon, but I swear it takes me about two days to get to this; and I'm on vacations. Thanks so much for your reviews, and please, tell me what you think about this one: it's a free world! Let's express ourselves! Yay!

Next chap: Remy does something really, really stupid (suspenseful music).


	6. Chapter 6: Anticipated realization

Disclaimer: Don't own them

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Chapter 6: Anticipated realization.

Through the auburn and white hair that partially covered her eyes, she saw him and stayed quiet like this for a while: just staring at him, feeling his presence, pretending she was still sleeping. The sheets and pillow felt warm, and though she couldn't see herself because she was lying on her stomach, she knew her back was completely uncovered; it felt good this way.

He was getting dressed, and before he put his shirt on, she could observe every single muscle on his perfect torso; could there possibly be a better first thing to watch when she woke up in the morning?

Yes, this is exactly how she felt: just happy to be there, with no second thoughts or hesitations. She thought there must have been something wrong with her, because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't feel bad about this anymore.

Was it wrong? Maybe, but to who, anyway?

Would she regret it later on? Perhaps, but definitely not today.

Would it finish soon? Probably, and that's exactly why she wanted to live every second of it as intensely as possible. She'd live the present, instead of constantly worrying about the future and repeatedly checking on the past over her shoulder.

She'd enjoy it, as good as it was and as long as it lasted.

"_Bon jour, chere_" he finally said, combing his hair back with his fingers. He had his clothes on now.

"Mornin', sugah" she moaned, stretching a little.

"Ah, I like dat" he grinned, sitting on the bed, next to her. " Were y' savin' it for de _good byes_ t' our first date?"

As an answer she just turned around, leaving her breasts exposed, and feeling so utterly free this way. Remy didn't miss this action, of course, and as he kissed softly that exact spot in the middle of her chest, she closed her eyes wondering how in the world she had survived her whole life without this. Then, he came up her neck, until their eyes met again:

"See y' t'night?" he said, gently caressing her face.

Rogue nodded, they kissed, and as he left the room, she realized this would be one hell of a long day.

(…)

"STRIPES!" Logan's angry snarl resounded in the Danger Room: "Bring your lazy butt here right now".

She obeyed reluctantly, praying for the shower she took was efficient enough to remove any suspicious smell from her.

"What?" she sighed, standing in front of the Canadian, her arms crossed over her chest.

He narrowed his eyes and spoke: "Is there any particular reason for you to be yawning like a little wimp, and dragging yourself across the room instead of running, in the middle of a training session?"

"Ah'm not draggin'…!"

"Just answer the question."

There were a lot of things that pissed Logan off, but there was one in particular that almost turned him into an ogre: people who didn't take training seriously.

"Ah didn't sleep well last night. That's all" she replied.

"Well you better DO sleep well tonight, if you know what's good for you and the rest of the team. Now get back there."

She joined the rest of the students again; they all were forming an attentive circle around Cyclops, who was explaining some defensive tactics or whatever. It was hard for Rogue to pay attention though, since Remy was right by her side.

"So, tell me" he whispered, almost without moving his lips. "What were y' doin' last night dat's causin' y' dis very reprehensible laziness?"

She bit her lips not to laugh, and always looking towards the front, she muttered: "Go mind your own business, Swamp Rat."

He chuckled almost inaudibly.

"All right everybody" Scott sentenced: "The program's about to start; to your positions."

(…)

Days started to go by, and it's fair to say Rogue was having the time of her life. It was always a little nerve wracking to think they were always in jeopardize of getting caught up, but the truth is that it added some extra excitement. But there was more than that, of course.

Depending on, who knows, the specific way the sun hit on the earth each day, she woke up thinking different things every time: one day, wondering if she'd ever want something serious with someone like him; the next, wondering if he'd ever want something serious with anybody; and later, being just happy with her life. All of these things were resumed in a single one: she was starting to feel way too many things for him. And how could she not? She had it clear this was something casual; Remy just wasn't the one woman type of guy, and she knew it since the very beginning. She had accepted their relationship this way, not like he directly asked her about it; it was more like an unspoken agreement.

And how would she feel when, one day, he just walked away?

No, it was better not to think about it; not yet.

It was better to keep living the moment.

To keep participating in standard conversations with everyone at dinner, while under the table she caressed his leg with her foot. This pretty much drove him nuts, so much, he easily lost track of any conversation he could be having at the moment. Rogue always managed to look interested on whatever Jean or kitty had to say, while he went through the agony of feeling her toes between his legs.

"Y' think dat's fair t' Remy, _chere_?" he mock protested one day: "Y' caught me outta guard t'day an' I almost made de fork explode."

"Well, take it as a warm up, Sugah" she laughed.

"Warm up t' what?"

"Aw, someone who didn't know yah any better would buy that innocent look 'n your face" she remarked. "But luckily, Ah do. An' yah know what? Ah've got a little somethin' for yah t'day."

She pushed him sit on his bed, staying standing right in front of him; they had started to use his bedroom too.

"Ah, really?" he raised a brow, caressing the back of her knees with both of his hands.

"Yep." Next, she slowly untied the ribbon around her waist and let the robe slide down to the floor: "Yah like it?"

According to his growing wicked smirk (which wasn't the only growing part of his body, at this point): yes, he might have liked it a lot: she was wearing this minuscule black outfit that left pretty much nothing to imagination.

"If I like it, _cherie_?" he said, his thumbs now resting in both of the little bones of her hips: "_Oui_, but… I'm afraid I need t' see it off right away."

(...)

They went out for coffee once, at three am; sure it was an unusual hour for it, but hey, the _night_ was their favourite time.

"When y' gonna tell 'em, _chere_?"

"Tell 'em what?"

"'Bout yer power."

Rogue sighed and took a look around. They'd decided to go on foot and they were now walking down a pretty houses area; a few more minutes, and they'd be back at the mansion.

"Ah don't know, Ah don't wanna have to explain how it happened. B'sides…"

"'Sides?" he encouraged her to continue.

"Ah know they're like mah family an' everythin', but… Ah'd just wish Ah could trust them more."

"Y' don't?"

"Not for everythin', Ah mean, they're mah friends but they're so distant sometimes, yah know?" he nodded, both of his hands hidden in the pockets of his trench coat, because it was getting breezy. "They live in their perfect little world an'… well, not all of them; Logan's different but he's so… distant too. Ah guess he probably thinks 'bout us same Ah think 'bout 'em."

"But hey, y've got people lookin' after y'" he said. "_Moi,_ I almost got no people at all."

"An' your family?"

"Dey're somethin' special, indeed" he chuckled with a hint of irony: "Dey're not really my family, _chere:_ y' could call it _adoption_."

"Really…? That sorta makes two of us, then."

She had never imagined it, but somehow it seemed fitting.

"_Père_… he can get t' be a real pain 'n de ass" he continued: "When he comes up with an idea, dere's no way t' talk t' him out of it. My broder just lives his own life. An' I've learnt t' do de same."

They walked a few steps in silence, and suddenly a chilling breeze hit them in their faces.

"Gawd!" she rubbed her bare hands in order to warm them up a little.

And he put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer:

"Guess we're lucky t' have each other here" he concluded, as they kept walking.

This might seem no big deal for two people that have already slept together. But yet, it actually was something special: it was a caring, honest, almost non-physical hug.

(…)

During those three weeks, there wasn't one night they didn't spend together. Many times she wondered if this was what she wanted to do with her life: to have something going on with someone, not really knowing if they were fuck-buddies, special friends, if they were more like dating, or what. It could get really confusing sometimes; especially when she realized Remy occupied every corner of her life now. She didn't even want to build the sentence in her mind, but she knew that maybe… maybe_ she was in love with that stupid Cajun. _

"Remy?"

"_Oui_?"

They were in her bathtub, soapy water covering their embraced bodies.

"Just wanted to tell yah that…" she didn't want to sound desperate, she didn't want him to feel pity for the silly gal that obviously had this huge crush on him. She didn't want to… "That Ah feel so good bein' with yah."

With his arms around her, he squeezed her tighter and simply said: "Me too."

He wanted to say more, like he had lived a lot of things, but never felt this way; that he loved not only her beauty, but also the way she faced life, with audacity and some unique innocence at the same time. That he had never met a woman that could eat two gigantic hot dogs in ten minutes, walk under the rain without worrying about her hair, and not judge him about his past. He wanted to say he loved every word and kiss that came out of her mouth.

But he said nothing else. Those were just too pretty words for a man who didn't believe love existed.

(…)

They didn't see each other too much the day after the bathtub: there was no danger room session, Rogue had to go out with the girls to buy some stuff, Scott sat in front of her at dinner, so there'd certainly be no _under the table fun_ tonight. Not like the first time it happened, though, so she was cool about it; they'd make it up later, when everyone was sleeping.

They were supposed to meet in her bedroom, but she decided to give him a little surprise; so she sneaked out of hers, with the usual tingly feeling inside, and the same shorts she was wearing the first time their skins came together, at the garage.

As quietly as she could, she pushed the door open a couple of inches; and then she heard his voice, coming from the balcony:

"_Bon soir_? Christy? How y' doin', _chere_?... Ah, but y' always loved Remy's accent, didn't y'?... I'm 'n New York now, an' I thought mebbe we could meet, an' who knows?: Discuss some interestin' matters?... Yer place?... _Oui_, I know where it is… See y' dere 'n a half hour, den?... _Bien… au revoir, cherie_."

In the back of her mind, Rogue always knew this would happen; not like knowing it, made this less painful.

"Idiot" she called herself, with a lump in her throat, and came back to her bedroom.

Sometimes she forgot she was nothing but another piece of ass to him.

Note: While I was writing Remy's conversation on the phone, I couldn't help to curse him about a dozen times! Btw, at the beginning of chap 5, there was a little paragraph that appeared there out of nowhere! I swear I revise the chap once it's done, but it just popped up there. The thing is that I had started writing that little part and then I moved it, but it decided to appear there anyway; sorry 'bout that! (glares evilly at Microsoft Word). There was a little quotation there, with the "There's people looking after you" Remy said; it's from the final part of Cajun Spice; is that how it goes? I think so. You probably know it already, but I had to say it.

So, who's gonna be the lucky reviewer to drop me review number 100?? We've got 99 right now! Yay! Thanks so much for it, reviews are so important to me, because when you write, you're pretty much pouring your soul into the text, so it's kinda scary sometimes to think "what's people gonna think about this?" I always love to read everything you guys have to say.

Next chap: we go a little into Remy's mind, to know why the hell he is doing this. And what's Rogue gonna do about it?


	7. Chapter 7: Reasonable doubts

Disclaimer: Don't own them

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Note: Hi everyone! Before beginning this chap, I wanted to say something: Rogue and Remy aren't really a couple yet, are they? So he wasn't technically cheating on her. Ok, it was just that. Here it goes.

Chapter 7: Reasonable doubts.

"It's done" he shrugged, putting the cell phone in one of the pockets of his coat. Now, all what was left to do was figuring out if he should tell Rogue they wouldn't be together that night.

But what would he say? He didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't just tell the truth either.

So he took the main stairs and went straight to the garage. He couldn't avoid feeling like a damn coward, but he kept telling himself it was better off this way: maybe she'd get mad at him and wouldn't want to talk to him ever again. Maybe it wouldn't be that simple, though; he knew she wasn't like most of the girls.

But it was unnecessary to think about this right now. All he wanted to do was to get her out of his head, and what could be better to do so, than a fine, sexy blonde?

Driving his bike, he relaxed; the speed always made him feel good, like he was in control of everything around. However, it seems the more we try to block out a thought, the more it stays stuck in our minds, and it won't leave us alone.

And he couldn't stop thinking about Rogue. About what she said: _I feel so good being with you._ It wasn't the first time somebody say this to him, but it was actually different when pronounced by her lips, like there was an entire world of meaning behind each word. And he felt it too: it wasn't just having a good time, it was feeling each second was priceless…

"What's wrong with y', _homme_?" he imaginarily slapped himself, realizing he was starting to sound like the script of a romantic flick.

It had never happened before: being with the same woman (and _only_ that woman) for three weeks; it was definitely a record for him. If she happened to be extremely hot, he would spend three or four days with her, but then he unavoidably went bored and moved on to another one. But this hadn't happened with Rogue. It seemed the more he had her, the more he talked to her and just spent time with her, the more he wanted; he couldn't get enough of their unique, meaningful, ironic and sometimes crazy conversations.

But when did he start to be interested in a girl's brain, anyway?

These changes inside of him had arrived in tip toes, without him noticing them, and now he had all of them in his face, claiming actions to be taken and decisions to be made. But why? Why couldn't he just keep things as they were with her? Maybe… because he knew she deserved better; she deserved someone faithful, honest, who would love her without question.

And he didn't think he was the right guy for that job. He was never good either at commitment or at sticking around in one place for too long. It just wouldn't work.

When he parked his bike in front of the luxury building, he hoped this Christy was still as hot as he remembered; that'd be enough to make him wake up from that sort of hallucination Rogue had put him into.

(…)

He still couldn't believe she asked him if those funny words he used to say were in Italian or Greek, or what.

"Funny words…!" he huffed, half annoyed, half in mock, but not surprised at all; this woman seemed to be part of the _Girls of the Playboy Mansion_ cast: died hair, big breasts, freaky attitude, and no signs of intelligence whatsoever inside her head. Now that she was sleeping by his side, he felt tempted to _knock, knock_ on her forehead and ask "_is there somebody in there? Don't think so." _Besides, blondes always reminded him of Belladonna, so he almost expected to meet the assassin's cold and manipulative features once Christy turned around.

But he rubbed his eyes, dropping those crazy ideas, and sat; he spotted his coat on the floor, next to the bed, so he grabbed it and looked for a cigarette in the pockets. He hoped nicotine would help him to get rid of that sensation of being in the wrong place, but after a while of observing grey smoke circles ascending to the ceiling, it hadn't got any better.

The furniture wasn't familiar, the bed wasn't comfortable, and he didn't even want to hug her or cuddle with her, or anything. She was just a stranger that didn't mean a thing to him.

And he felt like a stranger to himself too. But why? This is who he was, this is what he'd always done… what was different now?

He smoked another cigarette.

Then, he closed his eyes and pictured Rogue's white locks, her stunning green eyes, her voice…

"_Merde_" he muttered to himself: "Remy's truly fallen for _une femme_ dis time."

Just as she had told him a couple of times, that she hated to pretend, he realized he couldn't stand doing it either: he couldn't stay in this place any longer, so he stood up and put his clothes on as fast as possible.

"Runnin' away from a _playmate_'s room… who'd have thought?"

He was almost done, when he heard her moaning something:

"Are you leaving this soon?" Her voice was so shrill and childlike, now that he came to think of it.

"_Oui_… Yeah. I've got… stuff t' do."

"Awwwee" she pouted, stretching: "Can I have some kissy kissy before you leave?"

Remy stared at her for a few moments and made his choice:

"Sorry, but I'm kind of in a hurry now. Thanks for everythin' an'… _au revoir_" he went out the door.

"Okay… call me!" The girl rolled on the bed and frowned, trying to think deeply: "What did he say? _Our while_?"

(…)

He'd expected Rogue to be upset, maybe reproaching, and even ignoring him like that time in his first dinner in the big and formal dining room. But instead, she spent the whole day treating him like he was Kurt, Scott or Bobby: just normal, like nothing ever happened between them, or somebody washed her brain. There were no knowledge looks in her eyes, no nothing. And the worst part was that there were people around her at every moment, so he couldn't get to talk to her in private.

He knew he had to say something, though he still didn't know what. Something to keep her around, to make her understand he needed her help to admit his own feelings, as selfish as this might sound.

So he waited until the night arrived and dinner finished, so he could finally head to her bedroom (would the door be unlocked this time…?) but first, he decided to go have something to drink in the kitchen.

When he first stepped a foot in the room, Rogue collided with him, pouring on the floor a little bit of the orange juice she was holding. But if somebody in this house knew how to hide her emotions, that was her, who buried her daze as deep as she could to look at him into his eyes, say "Sorry", and keep walking her way.

He'd have rather her to be angry, over this.

"_Chere_, wait…" he grabbed her by an arm, and she gave him such a hard and undefined look (was it deception? Sadness?) that he let her go right away: "I need t' talk t' y'."

Just like her facial disguise was suddenly broken, her expression suddenly became more relaxed and genuine: "Yeah… me too."

"_Bien_… tell me." He said this only because he still didn't know what to say, but he knew for sure whatever she had to say wouldn't be any good.

Her fingers tightened around the moist glass. The words were right there, but taking them out was so hard, she had to take a deep breathe to say it:

"Ah… Ah can't do this anymore."

Nobody said a word for a few seconds.

"All right, wait: if dis is 'bout last night, I can explain it, it's…"

"No! No, Remy!" she tried to clear it out: "See, that's the thing: yah don't have to explain anythin' to me."

"Why not? I want t'!"

"No, no; yah can go an' do whatever yah wanna do, simply 'cause… 'cause we're just _friends_, aren't we?"

Truth be told: yes, they were technically just friends; special ones, though, but friends. In spite of it, he knew all of this was wrong somehow, but before he could say anything else, she continued:

"Ah might have been a little virgin when all of this started, but Ah'm not stupid, yah know?" she put the glass on the table and brushed white locks of hair behind her ear: "Ah knew very well what Ah was getting' mahself into, which is casual sex, Remy, an'…"

"But _chere, _I…"

"No, no: Ah know yah know it, Ah'm just lettin' yah know that Ah know it too." She was making a tremendous effort for her voice not to break; it was so painful and strange all of this, but she had to do it: she didn't want to expose her heart to this anymore: "An' Ah was cool with it for a while, but… not anymore! Ah don't wanna be part of these… games anymore, 'cause Ah don't wanna get hurt."

He understood this, of course, but what she didn't seem to have a clue of, was the fact that he didn't want to hurt her. All he wanted to do was… to fix things.

"_D'accord_, but listen t' me for a sec, 'kay?"

"This is pointless, Remy; what we gotta do is move on with our lives an'…"

"_Non_, I listened t' y', listen t' me now!"

A single tear that rolled down her right cheek was brusquely wiped away by her bare hand. Then, she rested her back against a wall and crossed her arms, already exhausted on her inside of this conversation.

"_Chere_, y're right 'bout a lot of things, but…" it was always so easy to be honest with her, so why not this time? "But y're different."

"What do yah mean Ah'm _different_?"

"Y're different from anyone else I've ever met. An' I know dis might sound crazy, but I need t' be with y'."

"Ah can't be with yah like this." she sighed.

"Den let's change it, Rogue! Let me make it right, let's stop hidin' from everyone an' just be t'gether." He didn't analyze these words, he just pronounced them, and once he did, he couldn't believe he actually felt them.

"Yah kiddin' me?" She stayed staring at him, frowning in complete scepticism: "Remy, yah really think yah can be with someone, an' _only _with that person? Yah think yah won't cheat, when the first opportunity shows up?"

"Listen, I can…"

"'Cause Ah don't want anybody cheatin' on me! Ah don't think Ah could resist that…" her eyes were glittering with tears again, so he came closer to her and rested his hands on her shoulders:

"_Chere_, we can work this out; I care 'bout y'."

"Do yah?" she pierced him with a sarcastic glare: "Yah don't care 'bout anybody… but yahself."

He gave a few steps back, visibly shocked:

"What, y' think cold-blooded Remy can't have feelings for once in his life?"

"Exactly!" she yelled.

"Well, well!" he laughed ironically, looking around: "I don't know what de hell am I doin' 'n dis house anymore!"

And she didn't say anything; she just stayed standing there, gritting her teeth and cursing herself for not being able to hold back her tears.

Remy nodded, taking in her silence: "Y' got it."

He hadn't yet turned around to leave, when the door was open unexpectedly, letting Storm, Scott and Kitty in.

"All right!" the younger girl shrieked: "Who wants some chocolate ice cream we just bought?"

It couldn't have been more awkward: immediately, they all noticed Rogue's misty eyes and moist cheeks, and Remy's upset frame. It was like time stopped for a few moments, as everyone stayed paralyzed, except for Rogue who tried to dry her face with the sleeve of her sweater. Next, Remy took a last look at her and walked out of the room, passing Logan on his way.

"What's up with that Cajun?" he mentioned, entering the kitchen, and then raised a brow: "What's going on here?"

Rogue was staring at the floor, wishing she was Kurt, so she could evaporate herself out of this place. Kitty was staring at her with eyes widely open, while Storm tried to calm things down:

"Nothing, we were just talking and we have learnt that Gambit has a temper, as well as you" she glimpsed at the Canadian.

"Don't you try to fool this nose, Stormy" he said: "The three of you just arrived a second before me. Now, Rogue: what's going on?"

She swallowed hard, and answered: "Nothin'" leaving right away.

"Hey, kid!" Logan huffed, but she didn't look back.

He narrowed his eyes at everyone now, as Scott said weirdly:

"I do want ice cream, Kitty."

Note: This chap was a little bit harsh to write at points, I mean, the part when Remy is going on his bike, and stuff. I hope it's ok, but anyway, please tell me what you guys think about it, and about the whole chappie. Btw, the last one got 25 reviews! Yay! That's the most I've got for a chap EVER, so thanks so much to each and everyone of you; yeah, I'm talking to you! ;-)

Next chap: Will Rogue run after Remy? Will he run after her? Will he really leave the mansion? Will Cyclops get his ice cream??


	8. Chapter 8: Significant conclusions

Disclaimer: Don't own them!

Note: Hi you all! Sorry for the delay, but I was having creative troubles. The first part of this chap happens right after Rogue heard Remy on the phone; the second part is after she and Remy had the argument in the kitchen. Ok? And… all right, by popular demand, there will be ice cream for everybody during this chappie! Woohoo!! (Yeah, even for Scotter.) And you'll get a double portion if you review ;-)

Chapter 8: Significant conclusions.

She could hear the familiar roar of his bike's engine, as it got lost in the night.

Away from her.

Not even bothering in saying a word, or a lie. The truth was just way too obvious, and it had always been right under her nose all the time: that "_chere_" wasn't exclusive for her, at all. To hear Remy calling someone else the same way he'd called her so many times on her own bed, was like a slap in the face.

On this bed…

Rogue jumped out of it immediately, letting tears flow freely, which she didn't do very frequently. The bed, that t-shirt he forgot once on the back of the chair, the whole bedroom and probably even her own body smelling like him; his presence was just everywhere. She wished she could escape from all of this as easy as he did, just taking off on his bike. But she was trapped here, alone, hating herself for starting something she wasn't ready for.

So she sat on the carpeted floor with her back against the wall, and closed her eyes tight. This would have to finish at some point: this soul ache, the way she still saw her life tied to his… it'd all be gone some day and she'd be ok.

She wouldn't love him anymore, ever again.

She'd stop crying and things would be fine.

"Gawd, make it stop…" she breathed heavily, running her fingers through her hair.

It'd be over. She'd be ok…

But how?

How could she let go something she felt she needed to breathe?

And how could she possibly loose control this way, becoming addicted to him? Is this who she was, what she deserved: somebody's leftovers?

At the beginning she didn't feel how cold it was getting, but then it was too much to resist; so she reached for the bedspread, pulled it down and wrapped herself with it.

And she wondered what could hurt the most: to stay by his side this way, knowing she was used for amusement, or to walk away from him? Both were probably equally painful, though in different ways, but maybe… maybe she still owed herself a little bit of respect; even after giving up her untouched skin to a total stranger, only because he made her horny and because she imagined some kind of connection magically existing between them, at first look.

It was so hard and contradictory, like most things, like most decisions, like freaking life: opposite forces pulling her from different directions while she was in the middle, scared to realize that what seemed to be wrong in the past, had started being less so; she'd changed, all of this had changed her.

And now she had to finish it.

And it was so difficult…

She buried her face in the blanket. If she was going to cry, she'd do it as much as possible tonight; she needed to be composed tomorrow.

She couldn't show she was breaking inside because of him.

(…)

(…)

Rogue wanted to keep playing her rational part and actually get to believe in it, trying again to convince herself that she had done the right thing.

But she didn't know anymore what she was doing.

It'd been so hard to look into his eyes and remain firm, but it was even harder not to give in to his words; and she was about to, for a moment, when he said he cared… but then her brain took control of the situation, silencing her heart. Just a quick decision, a second, a single word can change so many things, like a chain reaction. Her pride spoke, his too, and it all went so messed up.

Could he really be leaving…?

It was usual: always a headache when her soul was in distress. So she laid on her bed, so tired and empty she didn't feel like crying anymore. She just wanted, needed to rest her eyes and her mind for a while.

She blinked numbly and took a glimpse at the clock: 10:50 pm.

He said he cared… he said he needed to be with her…

It wasn't too cold tonight.

Rogue closed her eyes.

He said he'd leave…

(…)

When she opened her eyes again, her heart was going a thousand miles per hour; what was she dreaming of? She didn't remember, but then it hit her again, like maybe she hadn't stop repeating that sentence in her head while she was sleeping: he said he'd leave. And seeing it was now past midnight, the terror filled her veins: he could be gone already.

Maybe she shouldn't care and should stare at her reflection in the mirror the same cold way she looked at him when he said he'd leave; but what she saw was fear in every inch of her face: fear of loosing the only man she could imagine herself with.

"Damn it" she laughed nervously, while putting on her shoes: "This is ridiculous… but what am Ah t' do? Ah love yah… yah stupid piece of Swamp Rat…"

She walked out the door, wishing she could analyse this right now, and offer some very convincing arguments to support her current actions.

But who ever said she was reasonable, after all?

She couldn't ask him to stay, though; she just wanted to clear things up about what he said, and to find out if he truly meant it.

The hallways were death silent. Each step leaded her towards the one thing she was supposed to walk away from, and she wondered if she should get back and leave things as they were. But she was like possessed by this impulse; nothing would stop her now.

When she came in to his bedroom, without knocking first, the lights were off. Generally she'd feel tingly inside doing this, because of the rush of hiding from the rest of people and the excitement of what would come next; but tonight she was tense, not even knowing what she'd say to him.

"Remy?"

There was no answer, so she turned on the lights and this awful shudder hit her whole being: neither he nor his stuff were in there.

A few steps back, and she stumbled. This made no sense… or did it? He really left, same as he arrived, easily leaving her behind… but how…? How could she ever leave _him _behind, get over him? It was impossible, she'd always love him, she'd always feel this way no matter how much time would go by… wouldn't she ever see him again? And if she did, would he care? She had just lost what she had yearned for her whole life, and it all was just so absurd… he was gone…

Her shoulders shook with each restrained sob as she made her way back, feeling utterly stupid. It didn't matter anymore whose fault was it, the fact was that she felt so used, and that it all was over; he wouldn't kiss her ever again... He said he cared…!

But no, this was it. She would be alone again, companied by nothing but memories, and what good could they do to her?

Everything was falling apart in her soul when she entered her bedroom, and then her brain went upside down the moment she bumped into someone.

"What…?!" Her expression went from dismay, to confusion and embarrassment, when Remy's eyes were the ones she met: "What are yah doin' here?! How yah got in?" Still trying to recover from the emotional rollercoaster this night was, she pronounced these words mechanically, though deep inside, she could do nothing but thanking God for him to be here.

He stared at her and almost smiled slightly, like her abrupt questions were enough for him to feel better:

"I was t' knock, but de Wolverine didn't think it'd be a good idea; de man wanted t' kill me… so I climbed up, reached yer balcony an' here I am." He noticed her misty eyes, her blocked nose, and he felt like the biggest jerk on earth; could there possibly be a way for him to fix all of this? "An' y'? Where were y'?"

She lowered her eyes, hesitating:

"Ah was…" In the kitchen? Out for a walk? It's none of your business? No; she couldn't keep pretending anymore: "Ah went t'… talk t' yah, but yah're obviously not there an'… Ah thought yah were gone."

He was wearing his trench coat, his boots, his gloves, exactly as the day he first arrived to the mansion.

"Yeah… picked up my stuff an' jumped on de bike. But I couldn't leave." He wasn't speaking teasingly or charmingly, as he normally used to; this was one of the first times Rogue saw in front of her not _the player_, but just a man willing to get serious: "I can't leave, _chere_… Not like dis."

She looked into his eyes questioning, wondering if he really felt the same thing she did; then, she walked inside the bedroom and sat on the bed, her arms crossed over her chest. She had no clue to where this would lead them, but one thing was for sure: it did feel right.

Remy closed the door and came to sit by her side. None of them said anything for a few moments. It was way easier to make up some romantic rubbish to any random girl, than to accept what he really felt and just say it; but he managed to put his thoughts together and continued:

"_Chere_, I made a mistake last night." It was hard for him to speak, it was hard for her to listen, but it had to be done: "An' dat mistake was t' fool myself in thinkin' y' meant nothin' t' me. But why, Rogue?" he faced her now, and she had no option but to do the same: "'Cause I'm an idiot! 'Cause I got scared, _cherie_, 'cause I didn't know what de hell I was feelin', but now I know… I know I don't wanna be away from y' again."

"But…"

"I know what I've been my whole life, but come t' think: why will I ever wanna be with anyone else, if y've got everythin' an' even more I could ever dream of…?"

"Remy, wait, Ah just need t' understand…" she rubbed her eyes, like things could get clearer this way: "Ah need t' know what yah mean with all this…"

"What I mean…?"

"Yeah, yeah: what do yah really want from us, yah an' me? Ah?"

"I asked myself dat, for a while, yeah…" He took a deep breathe: "I only wanna be with y', Rogue. An' no one else."

"Gosh, is that what yah really want? Think 'bout it, Ah…"

"Answer me one thing" he stated, cupping her face between his hands: "Y' want it too? _Hein_? To be with me, like, dunno, like Scott an' Jean?"

"Scott an'…?" she laughed nervously.

"Seriously, _cherie_, please, answer dis. I need t' know if I'm right at dis."

"Remy…" she placed her hands on his: "How could Ah not want that? Yah think Ah'm made of stone, or what? Yah think Ah can kiss someone an' everythin', an' feel nothin'? No feelings at all? Ah could never do that, yah know?"

He was so relieved to hear this, but there still was the trust issue:

"Den… I think I know how we can solve dis out."

"How?" she shrugged, not sure of what he meant it needed to be solved; or which part of it.

He took his hands away from her face: "_Chere_, y' don't trust me, do y'? Y' don't think I can be faithful… right?"

After a few seconds, she just nodded in response.

"_Bien_; I wanna prove t' y' I'm willin' t' it. I need y' t' see what I feel; dat I'm not lyin' when I say I wanna try, an' make things right." She still looked confused, so he explained himself with two words: "Absorb me."

Visibly shocked, she stood up: "What the hell, Remy?! Yah insane?!"

"Hey, I've seen y' doin' it in de Danger Room! Y' give someone a little touch an' ten seconds later dey're just fine! Listen…"

"No, no, yah listen t' me: every guy that has ever dared t' touch me, I've ended up with his thoughts an' everythin', up inside mah head! An', Jesus, Ah'm not sure if Ah want that right now, with the only person Ah've ever…" she was about to say "loved", but she stopped herself right on time: "With yah… this is absurd!"

He was starting to learn what to deal with this kind of situations: to let her explode a few moments and say the first things that came to her mind; he should not take them personally; then, a little bit later, she'd be more calmed and would think clearly. And that's exactly what happened, when she sat down again by his side.

"I just don't want y' t' feel insecure 'bout me, an' if dis is what it takes…" She turned around t' stare at him: "I'll be fine, _chere;_ Remy's got a lot of energy, y' know?"

She couldn't believe how things got to this point. But maybe… maybe it was fair, as bizarre and twisted as it could sound: she'd given up everything to him, and now… maybe it was time to get something in return. But his thoughts, his memories… it was too much; it was someone's most private and precious things. And he wanted to share that with her… was it fair?

"Gawd, Swamp Rat" she sighed: "Yah're just crazy."

"Come on" he laid back on the bed: "It'll be like a quick nap."

She came closer to him, sitting by his side:

"It don't feel good… Ah've been told."

"It's ok, _chere_" he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

It was always scary to use her power willingly, because she imagined that somehow she could loose control of it again. But she focused on his bare fingers and two seconds later, hi gasped like he was drowning…

_Pére, frère, tante Mattie… all of his family…_

_The bayou and the first time he ever stole something: a wallet... _

_His first kiss, when he was 9… his first time, and he was only 13… _

_Training with the rest of the thieves: sneaking in a closed building…. _

_The assassins. The Beaudroux. Belladonna… the woman he was supposed to marry with, but he never did it. _

_The Institute… _

_What a nice ass… Rogue could see herself looking for something in the fridge… _

_She wanna play hide an' seek? _D'accord_, but she'll later on have t' explain how come they still call her _untouchable_… _

_I need t' kiss dat _fille _again…_

_Her bedroom… _

_Is she scared? Does she feel okay? I gotta take dis slow… Chere, y' okay…? I need t' know if she's all right… what's she thinkin' now? She looks so beautiful… damn, she is beautiful: all of her…_

_How 'bout a nice dinner? Ah, a little more of dat southerner drawls is all Remy needs…_

_ She's gorgeous, plus smart, plus funny…_

_The__n she saw herself sleeping… y're so calmed, cherie… so peaceful right now; I love y', Rogue…_

_I can't do dis… she deserves better dan someone like me… _

_But she's different… this is different to anything else I've ever lived… I can't just let her go… I gotta make this right… _

_Merde, she hates me… _

_I can't leave… I love her… Chere…_

(…)

Everything seemed blurry around.

He didn't know where he was or what was going on, like he had lost something; until he finally reacted and it all flowed back to his mind.

"Rogue?"

He tried to sit down, but couldn't: she was lying by his side, with her head resting on his chest. So leaning back again, he sighed: It seemed it'd worked.

"Dat was breathtaking, _non_?" For some odd reason, he liked to have experienced this; her power was a part of her, after all, and he wanted to know everything that concerned her.

"If yah wanna call it dat way."

"How long was I gone?"

"'bout fifteen minutes, not too much" she looked up at his face: "Ah went easy on yah."

"_Merci_." Rogue smiled but right then her eyes saddened, and rested her head again. "What's up, _chere?_ Y' didn't like what y' saw in dere?"

"Ah just… Ah'm sorry we had to do this, yah know? Ah should have trusted yah."

"Look: if it'd t' be done for y' t' say dat t' me, den 'twas worth it, don't y' think?"

They stayed like that for a while, just feeling each other's presence, so close and embraced, but none of them touching the other one's skin; like somehow they were starting again, but with no games this time.

"An' now what?" she questioned.

"Now?" he hugged her tightly: "I've never done dis 'fore, but _chere_…" he waited until she met his eyes again: "Y' wanna be my girlfriend?"

She immediately began to laugh and hid her face on his chest. All the bad things, her fears and doubts were now forgotten.

"What?" Remy seemed worried: "_Non_? What is it? Y're drivin' me nuts!"

"Sorry, Sugah; I just wonder what's crazier: to sleep with yah without even knowin' yah, or to try to have an official relationship with yah."

"But we did well in de first one, didn't we?" he winked, caressing her chin.

"Yeah…"

"So?"

"So? So what, Rems? Yah think Ah'm gonna say _no _all of a sudden? 'Course yes! Yeah… we're together now. Wow..."

"Yeah, wow!" he replied, and they kissed after what seemed to be ages.

"Ah'm never gonna do this again: not trustin' yah."

"An' _je promets_ dat I'll earn dat trust. 'kay?"

"Yah better… but, what did yah say earlier on? Like Scott an' Jean?"

"_Non, non_, I was just sayin' it! We're better dan dem."

"Ah know" she laughed. "Gosh, how am Ah gonna tell everyone 'bout this?"

"Y' mean: how are _we_ gonna tell everyone? But don't worry, we'll figure it out t'morrow..."

"Yeah…"

It was 1 am already, and she felt like she'd had no sleep in years. But this was the best feeling someone could go to sleep with: everything was ok, for the first time in her life.

"I love y', Rogue" she heard right next to her ear, like she was dreaming already… just like she heard it in his thoughts moments ago.

"Ah love yah too…"

Everything was more than ok.

(…)

"Oh my God… oh my God…" Kitty couldn't stop repeating. She'd gone to bed after eating her ice cream. But curiosity was killing her, so she got up and went to the surveillance room, where all of the little tv's are located. She started to search in some videos of the last days, and to her surprise, she found Rogue getting out a storeroom and then Remy doing the same a few moments later. Then, and she had to re-watch this vid several times to caught him entering her bedroom a few days ago; and she almost had a heart attack when she saw him in another video exiting her friend's room at 6:40 am.

"This is like, totally… oh my God… oh… my… God…" she giggled hysterically when the current camera showed both of them talking at the entrance door to her bedroom, and then coming in.

She was dieing to know what was happening in there. Though she thought she had a pretty good supposition of it.

She fell asleep on the chair at 2 am.

END.

Note: Woohoo! I've been writing for about 4 hours, but I had to put this together! I hope you guys like this ending, I mean, they both ran after each other, so it was a mutual stuff. One thing I loved about this fic was that everyone seemed to have a different opinion about it; for example, in chap 7, after the argument in the kitchen, one person said Rogue had been really mean, while another one said it was Remy's fault; so I feel like I'm contributing to build a more tolerant and expressive world: YAY me!! Btw, I had to listen a hundred times the song "Walk away", by Christina Aguilera, to write the first parts of this chap; it was very helpful, as you might notice if you listen to it.

Aw, it feels so good but kinda sad too to finish a fic… really weird. You know, I have this notebook were I've been writing my randomness since the third fic I wrote ("It's different" is the ninth): I've got general ideas for each chap, stuff I wrote but never posted 'cause they sucked, crazy little diagrams, brainstorming, ideas for new fics, etc. But the notebook is over now! Aw! How sad… we lived so many things together… anyways, I'll get myself a new one ;-)

AH!! Remember your double portion of ice-cream! And thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I love you all! This is gonna be my most reviewed fic ever! Yay! Sorry, I'm so sleepy… I'll shut up now.


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